The US$17 billion settlement reached with other states does not address the harm caused by Facebook and Instagram: Uthmeier.

On Wednesday, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier rejected the US$16.68 billion settlement Meta reached with several U.S. states and said he will continue his lawsuit against the technology company over the harms Facebook and Instagram cause to children.

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“We rejected Meta’s weak payoff attempt. Meta knows about the damage they caused, and we will hold them accountable in Florida,” he posted on X.

“Florida didn’t join the Meta settlement. The payouts are peanuts compared to the profound harms Meta’s profit-driven addictive features inflicted on kids, and a slap on the wrist for a trillion-dollar corporation that’ll pay more to lawyers than to the states. We’ll see them at trial.”

“Trying to wipe out a decade of harm to the nation’s youth with one month’s cash flow is an insult. Corporations like Meta will never learn a lesson if they don’t incur real costs for breaking the law,” Uthmeier stressed.

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META’S WORST FINES

The federal lawsuit was filed by 29 states in an unprecedented action against Meta, accused of designing its apps to be addictive and cause psychological harm to young people. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, known for the Epic Games case, has been… pic.twitter.com/jqAk8z17wT

— THE WORLD CORRESPONDENT (@TheWorldCorresp) August 26, 2026

The lawsuits have also accused the company of misleading the public about the dangers of its platforms, ignoring the harm caused to young people’s mental and physical health, and violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by collecting data from minors.

Previously, Meta accepted the settlement to avoid prolonging the litigation but denies the allegations and any liability. Mark Zuckerberg’s company also committed to implementing a series of protections for teenage users ages 13 to 17 and for children under 13.

Uthmeier’s statements highlight the growing legal challenges against social media companies in Florida, which in 2024 passed a law prohibiting children under 14 from having social media accounts.

In June, Florida’s attorney general announced a lawsuit against TikTok, arguing that its content is “addictive” to children and adolescents, and another against OpenAI, accusing its artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT of creating addiction, contributing to the planning of shootings, and weakening critical thinking.

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Sources: EFE – X

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